Detroit Lions/Baltimore game (Detroit Lions photo by Jeff Nguyen)
Detroit Lions/Baltimore game (Detroit Lions photo by Jeff Nguyen)
In 2023, the last time the Detroit Lions played the Ravens, they were crushed and humiliated at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore by a score of 38-6.
On Monday night, before a national audience, many Lions fans hoped for revenge but also crossed their fingers that the team wouldn’t be humiliated again. That didn’t happen. The Lions defeated the Ravens 38-30 in what can only be considered a very, very impressive victory.
As a fan, all you could say was “wow” throughout the game. The offensive line was great. The defense was great. The running backs, particularly David Montgomery, were great. The receivers, like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, were great. Quarterback Jared Goff was great. And the coaching was great.
Kicker Jake Bates even made a heroic play, tackling Ravens returner Rasheen Ali, who likely would have scored had he not done that.
“We played complementary football. We did exactly what we said we needed to do,” said Coach Dan Campbell at a postgame press conference. “We were able to corral Lamar… It was just a huge win.”
Here's what some sports writers had to say:
Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press:
The Lions won this game because of offensive creativity and defensive toughness and an improving offensive line and a defensive plan that was a thing of beauty.
But you wanna know the most encouraging part of this game? It was how the Lions were able to run the ball right up the gut. How this revamped offensive line seems to have improved.
That was a fight between two heavyweights. Hard to describe it as anything else. A wonderful game to witness if you’re a football purist, and even better if you reside in Detroit. The Lions took on the challenge of facing Jackson, Henry and this Ravens team head-on. They remembered the taste of their 38-6 loss in the building and used it as fuel.
They took care of the football. They got off the field. They capitalized in the red zone. They sacked Jackson seven times. They went for it on fourth down and converted routinely. One of those conversions, capped by a Montgomery 31-yard TD run, put the game away. They did everything they needed to do to beat the Ravens. It wasn’t easy, but they got it done.
Darkness fell on Baltimore tonight as the Ravens (1-2) face a few days of self-reflection on defense and along the offensive line. Detroit rushed for 224 yards and sacked Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson seven times in the Lions' 38-30 win over the Ravens in Week 3 on ESPN's Monday Night Football.
A frustrated Derrick Henry fumbled for the third time in as many games and was held to just 50 yards. One rushing touchdown on 12 carries as the Lions had the football for seven more minutes, as they ran the football 38 times between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
The defense was bad. Really bad. But the thing is, it got no help from the offense. When the offense did score, it did so quickly, sending the defense out for another grueling drive. But too often the Ravens turned it over or went three-and-out, giving the defense the briefest breather after marathon defensive series. With Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy out, hiccups were expected, although maybe not this many. Normally, even when the defense is struggling, you can trust the offense to make up some of that ground. But the two sides felt almost equally bad.
Jonas Shaffer, Baltimore Banner:
Lions coaches talked last week about how they were outmuscled in Baltimore two years ago, and they looked like a Dan Campbell-coached team Monday night. The Ravens, however, did not look like a John Harbaugh-coached team. They were bullied on both lines and outplayed in high-leverage spots.
The Ravens rarely lose games this decisively, a bad omen heading into a crucial Week 4 trip to Arrowhead Stadium. If Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy are out for long, this game could be a preview of a long season for the defense.
Noah Trister, Associated Press:
The Lions (2-1) sacked Lamar Jackson seven times and outrushed the Ravens 224 yards to 85. Detroit scored on drives of 98 and 96 yards against a Baltimore front that was without defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike and showed little ability to handle the Lions physically up front.
Up 31-24 at the two-minute warning, Detroit converted on fourth-and-2 from its own 49 when Jared Goff completed a 21-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Then Montgomery raced for a 31-yard touchdown with 1:42 to play, capping a 151-yard night for the running back
Jamison Hensley and Eric Woodyard, ESPN:
In their four previous trips to Baltimore, most recently in 2023, the Lions had never won -- or come within nine points of victory. But that changed Monday, as the Lions' offense started quickly, spearheaded by veteran QB Jared Goff, and Detroit's playmakers put on a show.
Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery, along with All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, each had touchdowns. It marked the 10th game in which they each recorded at least one scrimmage TD, the most such games by any trio of teammates in NFL history, per ESPN Research.
Candace Pedraza, Side Lions Report:
The Detroit Lions marched into Baltimore in Week 3, under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, and dominated the Ravens. That might not even be an apt enough word to describe what Detroit did to the Ravens' offense and to Lamar Jackson in this clash.
Seven sacks on one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in addition to multiple pass breakups and several near interceptions led to the Lions leaving M&T Bank Stadium 2-1.
They trust themselves, and that’s all that really matters.
But it matters even more in moments like this. On the road in Baltimore, where the darkness usually wins. On "Monday Night Football," where the Ravens almost never lose. And here in the fourth quarter, where most NFL games are either won or lost.
Dan Campbell wasn’t going to let his team lose this game. No, he was going to give the Lions a chance to go win it, with the game hanging in the balance and everyone at home holding their collective breath.
